1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of immunologically-detecting rheumatism and a reagent of immunologically detecting therefor. In more detail, it relates to a method of immunologically detecting antibodies which react with autoantigenic proteins present in the serum of a rheumatic patient and a reagent therefor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Rheumatism is a chronic systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease that causes swelling and pain in the multi-joints and malaise, infirmity, weight loss, febricula and anorexia in other body organs. Criteria for the classification of rheumatism established by American Rheumatoid Association have been currently used in clinical diagnoses (Arnet, F. C. et al. Arthritis Rheum. vol. 305, Abstract 45, 1987); (1) morning stiffness, (2) arthritis of 3 or more joint areas, (3) arthritis of hand joints, (4) symmetric arthritis, (5) radiographic changes, (6) serum rheumatoid factor, (7) rheumatoid nodules. For the classification purposes, a patient shall be diagnosed to have rheumatism if he/she has satisfied at lease 4 of these 7 criteria. Moreover, by examining blood, there are chronic inflammatory symptoms such as acceleration of erythrocyte sedimentation rate and increase of C-reative protein reaction in the sera. There are also special symptoms such as anemia, increase of white blood cells, increase of thrombocytes, increase of .gamma.-globulin in sera. However, all the diagnosis are applied to patients after the occurrence of some symptoms. Therefore, it has long been desired that a new method should be established enabling to diagnose patients before the occurrence of the clinical symptoms or with early staged symptoms. The present invention attempts to find an early diagnosis of rheumatism before the obvious occurrence of the symptoms. This invention relates to a method of detecting a serum based on rheumatic specific antigens at the early stage and it is considered highly useful for its convenience and reliability.